Joshua 631b

"If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar."

Gideon and his father weren’t afraid to challenge the power of the Baals. Great missionaries from various traditions have used power encounters to demonstrate that our God is far more powerful than the false deities. Celtic missionary Patrick demonstrated the powerlessness of the Druids in the 5th century, Roman Catholic missionary Boniface made it clear that Thor could not stop him from cutting down a sacred tree, and Russian Orthodox missionary Permski did similar feats among the animistic Komi people. Has our God changed, or have we changed?

Pray that today’s missionaries will demonstrate the power and love of Christ to Nepali Hindus in Bangladesh and Nepal.

Hindu Nepalis in Bangladesh

Fleeing from harsh conditions at home and going to a foreign country with a different religion has to be one of the most disheartening experiences you could encounter. This was the case with many Hindu Nepalese who fled their homeland in the 1950s. One of their adopted homelands is Muslim Bangladesh. Bangladesh is very poor and overpopulated, so the newcomers probably weren’t very welcome.

Most of the Nepalese in Bangladesh are farmers, living in small villages situated near rivers or springs. The better-off Nepalese own their land, and raise wet rice during the monsoon season. They raise dry rice, maize, and wheat in the summer and winter months. Most farmers also raise cows for the family’s milk and goats and buffalo for meat. In recent years, because of the poor conditions, many Nepalese have been encouraging their children to move out of the rural areas for jobs in the cities. The Hindu caste structure keeps Nepalese in one of two categories: upper caste landowners and lower caste servants.

Pray for spiritual breakthrough among the Nepalese in Bangladesh. They live in daily fear of spirits, demons, ghosts, and fairies. This is not God’s plan for them. Pray that the spiritual blindness would be removed so they can see Jesus. Pray for evangelistic tools to reach every Nepali village in Bangladesh.-JR